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According to post-war statistics, the entire elite force of the Zhao Army and the vassal troops that followed Zhao Kuo in the later stages were completely annihilated in Shangdang. The various Feudal States adopted a deliberately vague attitude towards this secret deployment, and naturally, the Qin State did not wish to mention it too much to the outside world. As a result, the matter faded away as if it had never happened.
The Qin Army Commander Bai Qi was severely injured while commanding the Qin Army in battle and was sent back home for recovery before the campaign officially concluded. However, this war god general was not injured in direct combat but was shot by an assassin who suddenly appeared while he was inspecting the troops.
Zhao Kuo, a general of the Zhao Army, was hit by a crossbow bolt from a Qin soldier. Considering the penetrating power of the Qin State's crossbows, it was estimated that this young general was in grave danger. However, since his body was not found after the battle, he was classified as missing by the Qin Army according to standard procedures.
King Zhao of Qin, who personally led his troops into battle, encountered assassins while defending against Zhao reinforcements at West Rampart. Fortunately, Ji Xi sacrificed himself to save him, turning a dangerous situation into safety. Five assassins were killed on the spot, while two managed to escape.
Ji Xi, who blocked arrows for King Zhao of Qin, was poisoned but was saved in time by Xiao Yu'er, a descendant of Shennong. Although it inevitably caused some alarm, it was relatively safe compared to Bai Qi's situation.
Luzi, returning from the front lines, learned about these events but could only temporarily set aside the case due to a lack of testimony from the assassins. He planned to handle it later once more clues were gathered.
In the following days, good news kept coming in. It became clear that the Qin Army had officially entered the final phase after a significant victory over the Zhao Army. By the first day of the eighth lunar month, after three years of conflict and with over a million troops from both Qin and Zhao involved, the Shangdang Campaign officially concluded. Thus, at a cost of more than half their casualties, the Qin State ultimately secured ownership of Shangdang.
Since Lu County Magistrate's proposal was accepted by Qin officials and coupled with strict reviews and the establishment of compensation systems for soldiers' families, the Qin Army no longer judged military merit solely based on heads taken. This behavior, which had been looked down upon by society, was eradicated, leading to a significant reduction in prisoner executions.
After the war, Lu County Magistrate accompanied King Zhao of Qin to ascend the city wall and sought opinions on handling Zhao Army prisoners. King Zhao looked up at the blue sky and white clouds and stated that there was no need to worry about ancient people anymore.
Confused Luzi sensed there was more to this statement and hurriedly asked why. In his view, comprehensive compensation had already ensured living security for military dependents. The initial actions of the Qin Army were meant to alleviate future concerns. Since this issue had been fundamentally resolved, continuing with such practices would be inappropriate.
In a very good mood, King Zhao of Qin did not intend to hide the truth from anyone because most of the Zhao Army trapped in encirclement had already perished in battle. It is undeniable that there would be wounded in warfare. However, what followed during the battlefield cleanup surprised all members of the Qin Army.
It is possible that fearing mistreatment of their wounded by the Qin Army after breaking through their formation, the Zhao Army ordered a collective suicide before their official breakout. Therefore, when the Qin Army began their cleanup operations at Daliang Mountain, they found very few survivors.
However, deep within a cave, the Qin Army found several dozen Zhao Soldiers while cleaning up the battlefield.
Upon hearing this answer, Luzi was stunned. In his understanding, it was impossible for hundreds of thousands of Zhao Army to ultimately face total annihilation. But this was said by the king himself, and it has always been said that a ruler's words are not to be taken lightly!
King Zhao of Qin recalled the scene when the Qin Army dug out those dozens of Zhao Soldiers. They were a group of young children, barely past their infancy. Their helmets, tightened with straps, wobbled as they moved, and their ill-fitting military uniforms were clearly hastily sewn together. Their youthful faces were already covered in dust, yet they could not hide their fear of death.
Seeing that the oldest among these Boy Scouts was only twelve or thirteen years old, the Qin Soldiers who had just been sharpening their blades were moved to tears. War was supposed to be an adult's Death Game, yet these children were forced to experience it firsthand!
Was it humanity that committed such sins, or was it heaven that brought about such suffering!?
Thinking of this, King Zhao of Qin sighed deeply. "I have already ordered them to be sent to the Boundary! On the battlefield, there are only dead warriors; there are no living Cowards! Is it only my entire Qin Army that knows bravery, while the Zhao Army does not understand serving their country!? Hmph! Since everyone says my Qin Army enjoys killing captives for glory, let these children go tell the Common People the truth!"
The Lu County Magistrate following King Zhao of Qin recalled the horrific scenes when he personally led the Qin First Division in a counterattack and immediately understood what the king meant. Indeed! On the battlefield, there are only dead warriors; there are no living Cowards!
Faced with an almost hopeless breakout situation, the entire Zhao Army displayed immense courage! Inspired by this courage, the fearless Zhao Army ultimately paid with the lives of over three hundred thousand Qin soldiers. If this does not illustrate the issue at hand, then what could?
Although the Qin State emerged victorious, there was nothing to be proud of regarding such casualties. In the early stages of the Shangdang Campaign, the Qin Army had still been proud. The significant losses for the Qin Army began after General Zhao Kuo officially took command. As for what people say about Zhao Kuo being an Armchair Strategist, that is still open to debate.
Since The Three Families Divide Jin, China saw the emergence of seven powerful Feudal States, later referred to as the Seven Warring States: Qi, Chu, Yan, Han, Zhao, Wei, and Qin. As various lords began facing internal strife and external threats, three Feudal States gradually rose to prominence.
Through several generations of diligent governance by its monarchs, the rising star Qin State increased its military strength through Zhao Wuling Wang's initiatives in Barbarian Clothing and Cavalry Archery; alongside Zhao State's surge in power and Qi State's recovery under Tian Family's control without further internal or external wars.
The rise of these three Feudal States created a situation resembling a three-way stalemate.
The Qin State, with ambitions to dominate the world, could not allow such a situation to occur. They swiftly took control of the Qi State and subsequently used both military force and strategy to completely dismantle the rapidly growing Zhao State.
Launching the Shangdang Campaign was a strategy that achieved two goals with one action. By taking over the Shangdang region, they could officially incorporate the mountain and lake into the territory of the Qin State. By the time the various Feudal States understood the true implications, it would be too late.
With the salt from Yancheng Lake, the largest inland lake, and the abundant mineral resources from Zhongtiao Mountain continuously supplied to the actively preparing Qin State, a solid foundation for future unification was laid. Additionally, this could lure King Zhao into making a judgment error, allowing them to eliminate several legions of the ever-expanding Zhao Army.
King Zhao of Qin never anticipated that this plan would actually draw the main forces of the Zhao Army towards them, and the number of participating Zhao Army troops had already matched that of the Qin Army in their current formation!
What is a siege battle? It is when an army surrounds a smaller army! If one tries to take on too much, they might end up bursting their own belly!
The helpless King Zhao of Qin initially intended to withdraw in time to ensure that the main forces of the Qin Army would not be overwhelmed. However, under persistent insistence from his loyal ministers and valiant generals, he ultimately decided to officially launch the dual-purpose plan.
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